A Familiar Pain
by SuperDork1346
Summary: The definition of a moment is a "very brief period of time" and when we tell stories there are little moments that we just can't fit into our word counts. From Leo listening to the radio as he dreams of getting back his girl to school dances that mean more than they should, there's a song for every moment and a thousand years to smile for every tear.
1. Let Her Go

**Disclaimer: Lyrics are "Let Her Go" by Passenger and the characters are all Rick Riordan.** **Please do not review saying the lyrics aren't okay, I took most of them out for this exact reason and as much as I think it takes away from it, that's my way of abiding the rules.**

It wasn't like Leo liked being alone, it just sort of happened. And he knew he had to leave her but oh god it hurt. So when he heard a song on the radio playing the exact feeling he was suffering through, he decided to learn it. It wasn't like he was the best singer, but he was okay. He was used to being forced to sing in church or during holidays, getting hit when he sounded bad helped a little (note the sarcasm).

 **Well you only need the light when it's burning low**

 **...**

 **Only know you love her when you let her go**

 _He remembered that kiss and how it felt like the world stopped working. But this was one thing he didn't want to fix, it was okay that it stopped for her. Because oh gods she was worth it. But of course he was forced to leave..._

 **Only know you've been high when you're feeling low**

 **...**

 **And you let her go**

 _Images of her fading away into the distance flashed before his eyelids, his heart ripping into pieces. Considering it was already falling apart, it was too easy. So he swore he'd come back for her, because maybe if she could sew him new clothes, she could sew his heart back together._

 **Staring at the bottom of your glass**

 _He didn't have alcohol on the ship originally, but he started sneaking it in the night in small amounts. Maybe if he could forget her he could go back to focusing. But no, it only made her face clearer, more real. So it started to be a way for him to see her, because oh gods she was beautiful. More than anything ever built, more than anything the gods could come up with._

 **Hoping one day you'll make a dream last**

 **But dreams come slow and they go so fast**

 _Leo hated how much he craved those dreams, the ones where he kissed her earlier or told her how he felt. Maybe, if he was extremely lucky, it lasted the entire time he was sleeping. But no...luck wasn't a thing he had._

 **You see her when you close your eyes**

 **...**

 **Everything you touch surely dies**

 _Another project fell apart beneath his hands as he threw it off his workbench, his eyes burning as he just wanted to rip his hair out. "Gods, nothing_ _ **fucking**_ _works anymore!" He punched the closest thing he could find which was luckily the pillow he had taped to the wall as a makeshift punching bag. He groaned in frustration, turning his eyes away from all his failed projects only to see the drawing Hazel did for him hanging on a cork board of ideas he never felt the inspiration to do. And he broke down, falling to his knees as he choked out sobs and curled his fingers through his curls. He stared at nothing as he released the dam, tears flooding his throat and clogging his nose. He coughed through it all, finally just falling onto his back to stare at the ceiling. He had almost forgotten about the stars he had put up there when he got back, trying to recreate the night sky he used to joke about with her. "You can't see the constellations? How do you see Hercules' big muscles or the ice cream in the big dipper?" She would laugh, call him an idiot and nudge him with her elbow. He_ missed _what he thought was going to be a permanent bruise on his side from that_ _ **gods dam**_ _elbow._

 _This is how Piper found him the next day, staring at the ceiling with dried tears on his cheeks and a lazy smile on his face. She almost had a heart attack, thinking he was attacked in his dreams or something. When he finally was kind of normal, he laughed when she asked. "Pipes, it's not my dreams that are dangerous."_

 **But you only need the light when it's burning low**

 **Only miss the sun when it starts to snow**

 **Only know you love her when you let her go**

 _It was almost torture looking back on his hatred for her when they first met. She was beautiful but she was cruel with her words and her glare was ever present. She yelled at him for everything, broke things just to hurt him and forced him into isolation. He hated her, even though she always smelled like cinnamon, the hurt in her eyes ran even deeper than his and her voice cracked every time she spoke. Even though she cared enough to make him eat and take notice of_ everything _he fixed which even the crew didn't do, even though she chose to look into his past to see what clothes he might have liked. Even though she joked with him and laughed like the world around them didn't exist. Even though she wanted to learn how to do what he could, even though she wanted to listen to him talk about inventions and she would get so excited when she did something right (though she would try to hide it). Even though her voice was caramel drizzled over melting vanilla ice cream on a hot summer's day, even though her eyes lit up brighter than the stars they loved._

 _So no, it was not a surprise when his brain short circuited as she kissed him. When she kissed him, yes._ That _was a surprise. But he had never really hated her, because he fell too quickly and he was thrown away again so he needed someone to blame. And she was perfect in so many ways he needed her to hate him too. And he hated that he needed that, because it would have made the world so much easier if he just grabbed her and kissed her the day they started to like each other. Because the kiss she gave him to say goodbye was too rushed and pleading. He wanted to kiss her slowly, putting the words neither of them could say into a kiss neither of them would have minded drowning in._

 **Only know you've been high when you're feeling low**

 **...**

 **Only know you love her when you let her go**

 _Leo had never hated traveling before. It was fun to watch the world rush by you in a blurry mess, eat junk food in the trunk because "No, we are not stopping. We're already late with all the pee breaks." He always loved the feeling of leaving everything behind and finding a whole new world to discover. Was there a shelter? Was a friend here with a place to stay the night? Those things were actually good to him. It meant no parents with strict words and biting punishments._

 _But after getting back to the Argo II, he craved something he couldn't touch or taste. He craved birds calling in the night and the banging of metal which meant screams later. He missed the smell of salt and cider in the air every day, he missed finding sand in all the nooks and crannies of his body as he changed. He missed the smell of a real flame as it's heat lapped at his face, arms pulling him away on reflex if he got too close. He missed biting comebacks with no real force behind them and laughs that echoed throughout the whole island._

 _He'd never really had a home before. Even Camp wasn't really a place he could see himself staying in forever. He didn't fit in with anyone but his siblings and he didn't want to grow old with them. But he fit right into a mechanic shop with a humming girl handing out cider and stew to customers and workers, laughing as Leo caught himself on fire. Again. He fit into that picture like the center puzzle piece. It looked weird without him and it was hard to get the other pieces together without him. Which was a weird feeling, being that._

 _After a while, he figured out why he was staring out across the sea trying to see a little island with a pissed off Calypso, why he was craving getting laughed at with just the slightest bit of sass. He was homesick. Not for a place, he could care less about Ogygia after the war. His home was the girl staring at the ocean, hoping in the back of her mind that he actually came back while the rest of her tried to forget._

 _Calypso was home, and he was going to see her again. Even if it took the world down with him._

 **Staring at the ceiling in the dark**

 **...**

 **Cause love comes slow and it goes so fast**

"Leo?" Hazel stuck her head into his cabin, hoping to find him working on something. But all he was doing was staring at the ceiling in the dark, his eyes blank and far away.

 **Well you see her when you fall asleep**

 **...**

 **Cause you loved her too much and you dived too deep**

Maybe that's what lead him to do what he planned next, climbing into the insides of the ship for hours as he slaved away in suffocating spaces to fix the only thing besides her that he loved enough to try with, Festus. Maybe that's why he dived into his work so hard and fast that Percy couldn't even swim after him, if any of them had even noticed. She was the only one who yelled at him to eat, to sleep or tried to help knowing he couldn't just put his project away.

He couldn't blame Hazel and Frank. He'd pushed Frank away with as much force as he could muster, even hurting Hazel in the process. Because he couldn't deal with things that Piper didn't even remember anymore and he apparently didn't talk to Jason about. Piper might have lost a boyfriend, but Leo lost his two best friends in one afternoon. And this time? There was no group of three before they started dating. There was no room or time for him. Because they really didn't know each other after all.

 **Well you only need the light when it's burning low**

 **...**

 **Only know you love her when you let her go**

 _The sun was burning through the deck above him, he knew that at least. But he couldn't force himself to bask in it's warmth or memories, killing himself slowly in the most painful ways possible. He couldn't walk out knowing he'd feel the cool breeze of the sea instead of the cooling blanket of the wind in the trees, how he'd smell the bacon and waffles Percy asked for that morning instead of cinnamon cider and sweet fruits that made his mouth twitch. Leo knew he would go into the sun and feel smooth wood underneath his feet instead of rough sand, tickling grass or the cool stone of her cave. He knew if he walked into the blinding light, he wasn't going to see a girl in shop clothes with her hair braided out of her face so she could stare at wires as her nose scrunched and she bit her lip in thought. He was going to see Jason watching the ocean while Piper chatted quietly with Annabeth about how worried she was about the mechanic downs stairs, while the blonde agreed but neither did anything. He would look up to the nest and see Nico ready to fall apart, refusing help that was offered to him making Leo's gut twist. But he wouldn't be able to force himself to look in their direction unless he wanted his eyes to sting with salt._

 _So the mechanic boy just stayed below deck, scrounging in tight spaces and fixing problems. Because that what he did. No one noticed and he didn't look at them. It was how it worked._

 **Only know you've been high when you're feeling low**

 **...**

 **Well you let her go**

Leo just wanted to grab Percy but the shoulders some days, just shove him as hard as he could till he was steaming mad because " _What is your problem?"_ would ring through the air and Annabeth would be at his side in seconds with that glare he hated. But he would just be looking at the boy who liked to think himself _better_ than Hercules because he wasn't an asshole. But he _left_ her on that island. He asked about it and then forgot because _the gods totally understand time and will remember that they swore to free her_.

And Leo would feel the fire slowly rising in him as he growled out her name, watching Percy's anger turn to ash against his fire. And he would get to tell him how broken she was because he _promised_ and he _forgot_. He would tell the perfect boy, that his Sunshine had cried over for too long, that Leo had swore he would save her and not even to her face. She would never know the oath he made, the pain he would suffer if he didn't save her. He would watch Percy's eyes widen, he would watch Piper and Annabeth finally understand that _he knew_ he was going to die. _And he didn't care_. He would turn on his heel and leave them to try and pick up the shattered glass he was made of that they had crushed into dust underneath their feet.

But he knew he couldn't, because his fire would leave him to deal with the remains of its rampage and he wouldn't know how to fix it. People were too easily broken or burned. Metal could be melted but it would just be molded into a new shape, that's what made it so easy to work with. And Calypso? Well, her fire burned stronger than Leo's and she had metal in her bones. But her heart was like titanium, so strong but so hollow. Leo hoped his fire was enough to fill it.

 **Cause you only need the light when it's burning low**

 **...**

 **Only know you've been high when you're feeling low**

 **...**

 **Cause you only need the light when it's burning low**

 **...**

 **Only know you've been high when you're feeling low**

 **...**

 **And you let her go**

People always say the goodbyes are the hardest. The not knowing if you'll ever see each other again or knowing you won't, the tears and the hugs as you beg them not to go even if you know they have to. It isn't their choice, if they could they would stay. Maybe if Leo got a goodbye he could have apologized to Frank, hugged Hazel one last time with all the strength their tiny selves could supply, kissed Piper's cheek one last time. Maybe he could have forgiven Percy, gave his plans to Annabeth. But all those things felt unearned. Hazel and Frank knew what he was going to do, they'd forgiven him and replaced it with trust. Piper didn't remember him anyway, just the guy that was best friends with her boyfriend instead of best friends with her _and_ Jason. But her first, _always_ her first. Annabeth's plans were usually better anyway and he didn't think Percy deserved it. It wasn't Leo's job to forgive him, it wasn't his right. So what was the point in saying goodbye?


	2. Human

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO characters, nor the small section of writing that is Rick's. The lyrics are "Human" by Christina Perri.**

It was a simple moment for them as they danced to the same song at the celebration being thrown for winning the war. They got a solo dance because you know..they were the seven. Or at least most of the seven. When the words started to play, they were pulled into their own world.

 **I can hold my breath**

 **...**

 **I can stay awake for days**

 _What felt like days of staring at starless nights and feeling their bodies trying to pull them to the safety of their beds...but no. They couldn't. They were on patrol and they were the first and at that moment only line of defense the other crew members had. They had to stay strong._

 _But down in a cabin below deck or a hell below the earth, no one was sleeping. Because they had a million thoughts in their heads, a million prayers in their hearts and a million reasons to cry. So in the safety of night, they did. With disapproving godly parents watching from above as the heroes they had created broke._

 **If that's what you want**

 **Be your number one**

Wasn't that what they had become? An example, a promise, the gods' number one. They were heroes, and who didn't want to be a hero? At the moment, none of them.

 **I can fake a smile**

 **I can force a laugh**

Even after all they gave them, every piece of themselves, they had no respect in their parents eyes. They would still be taken down with a lightning bolt or cursed if they didn't do as asked. If they didn't laugh at not funny jokes or kneel politely.

 **I can dance and play the part**

 **...**

 **Give you all I am**

" _You have got to be kidding me!" Piper's voice was calm, but her expression was pure rage. "You can't take this away from me. It's my blood, my heritage." She backed away as her eyes turned to the offending immortal being. "Kill me, blast me to ash or drive me to insanity. But I refuse to let go of my beliefs. I pray to you, I basically have to worship you all and bend to your every whim and need. So why can't I still believe in my culture? Because it's not you?" She was gone before anyone could breathe. She felt like a piece of her was being slowly ripped out to increase the pain._

 _They all stared at them as they walked by in awe, like surviving hell was something to strive for. But they didn't see the pain still lying beneath their skin, the shattered look in their eyes or the visions that plagued them. They didn't understand like the other two beside him. They didn't know what it was like or why they were so affected._

 _And the gods, oh the gods hated them. They hated them for being so weak and for asking to be mortal. To forget. Because why should you do that when it was a god that created this mess and made you the way you are? Is it okay to want to breathe normally and to not be scared of every sudden noise? Is it too much to ask to be free of the invisible burden they held? To the gods, yes._

 **I can do it**

 **...**

 **I can do it**

They could do it. They had to. They had survived, they had fought and won. They had laughed in the face of death, literally. They had lived through hell, literally and faced down monsters. But they had lost everything along the way.

 **But I'm only human**

 **...**

 **And I crash and I break down**

 _It was the first time they had seen their child break. For Tristan and Sally it was in the middle of the night when it started. The blood curdling screams that ricocheted off the walls and enveloped the world around it in a crushing hug. It was in the middle of the night that they found their baby thrashing and crying out in their bed with pleading words on their lips. With names curling their tongues as they pleaded for it to be them instead of the dying friend in enemy hands. For Tristan McLean, it was the first time he realized his daughter's life wasn't what he expected. When he pulled her into his lap like he used to do when she was younger and small, rocking her back and forth as he sang to her. It was when she finally opened her eyes only to cling to him tightly that he understood she might be strong but she still needed him._

 _For Sally Jackson, it was the first time she wasn't the one to comfort him, as the man with pepper hair and a kind smile woke him and spoke to her son with calming words. For Sally it was the first time she watched her son cling to a dad, and sob freely, it was the first time she saw how much of a father the man was to him. It was the first time she saw the shattered look in his eyes and the scars on his torso. It was the first time the man learned of the abuse he'd taken his whole life, as the evidence was clearly marked on his skin by white lines that broke through the darkness of his tan. It was the first time they all understood._

 _For Fredrick Chase, it was actually during the day while she was taking a nap on the couch. For him, it was the first time he was 100% truly terrified for his daughter as she shook and thrashed on the couch screaming for Percy or begging him to let go. It was the first time he pulled her to him to comfort her from the nightmare she was living in her head, finally comprehending his daughter's words to them the day before, "I've been through alot, and I need you to be patient with me." It was when he learned of her trip below the earth to the fiery pit that lay in wake, her quest alone and just everything that his baby girl had seen. And for the first time, his daughter talked to him without malice, fear or tears. For her little brothers, it was the first time they realized they didn't want to be like her. They didn't want to be heroes because they don't always win like in the stories...And when they do, not everyone comes back whole or alive. For her step mom, it was the first time the weight of what the young woman in front of her had gone through as she told her tale. For the last time, the blonde girl with piercing grey eyes felt alone in her own house._

 **Your words in my head, knives in my heart**

 **...**

 **'Cause I'm only human**

 _Before their first quest, she was so excited. She wanted to be a hero like her siblings or a savior. She wanted to walk around knowing she had done something real. So she prayed to her mother constantly and wished upon stars._

 _After the first war, she did the same. But for a different reason. She wanted the calm to last forever, she wanted to be able to finally relax. She wanted her life to be boring and plain. She wanted this to be all she needed to be the hero she asked to be._

 _While Percy was gone, she didn't pray. She swore and cried and begged. She wished on stars that he would come back and made up scenarios in her head where he would appear and everything would be okay._

 _When they fell into Tartarus, there were no stars to wish upon or parents to pray to. There was no god that could save them or that they could pray to for guidance. And that's when she started to break. Because she realized they would give you exactly what you wanted in a million pieces for you to figure out, ignore you when you asked for help and finally sneer at you when you finished. "You should have done better." "You shouldn't complain." "You should be happy I even payed attention to you at all."_

 _So when she got back to the surface she didn't ask or beg or wish. She stated it clearly and forcefully. "After this is over, we're done. No more quests, no more godly favors, no more nothing. You can't abandon me again because I'm abandoning you." And that's when she could finally breathe._

 **I can turn it on**

 **...**

 **If that's what you need**

" _I didn't wait for her answer. I took out Riptide and slashed through her chains. Then I stepped next to her and braced myself on one knee—holding up my hands—and touched the cold, heavy clouds. For a moment, Artemis and I bore the weight together. It was the heaviest thing I'd ever felt, as if I were being crushed under a thousand trucks. I wanted to black out from the pain, but I breathed deeply. I can do this._

 _Then Artemis slipped out from under the burden, and I held it alone._

 _Afterward, I tried many times to explain what it felt like. I couldn't._

 _Every muscle in my body turned to fire. My bones felt like they were melting. I wanted to scream, but I didn't have the strength to open my mouth. I began to sink, lower and lower to the ground, the sky's weight crushing me._

 _Fight back! Grover's voice said inside my head. Don't give up._

 _I concentrated on breathing. If I could just keep the sky aloft a few more seconds. I thought about Bianca, who had given her life so we could get here. If she could do that, I could hold the sky._

 _My vision turned fuzzy. Everything was tinged with red. I caught glimpses of the battle, but I wasn't sure if I was seeing clearly."_

He could remember the pain well, it was still evident in the grey streak he shared with Annabeth. He had literally taken the weight of the world for the gods, as had she. Metaphorically they all had. But in reality, the long standing couple physically did. And it almost broke them.

 **Be your everything**

 **I can do it**

 **...**

 **I'll get through it**

 **But I'm only human**

 **...**

 **'Cause I'm only human**

 _The first time they saw Frank actually break was when they found him that night in the cabin he shared with his siblings. He was shifting uncontrollably and making a variety of painful noises. He was curled into himself, at least when he could be with the shape he had taken. The only ones that stayed were Clarisse and couple others that only wanted to watch. They waited for Percy or Jason to have to hold him down but were surprised when Hazel calmly walked over and stroked his fur. He was currently a growling cheetah, but he started to purr at her touch. She sat next to him and stroked his fur until he morphed back and opened his eyes. He broke down in front of them, resting his head on her shoulder as she whispered to him._

" _They were taking you back and I couldn't stop it. And then I was reliving Percy and Annabeth falling, I saw you trying to shadow travel down to save them but you just ended up falling with them. I saw Piper, Leo and Jason being blasted out of the sky but all three of them died and you blamed me." His words were mumbled and blended but everyone understood._

 _Hazel moved his head so their foreheads and noses were touching. "I'm right here. Percy and Annabeth are right over there to make sure you're okay, Piper and Jason are going to find you some water and Piper's going to charmspeak anyone that gets in her way into handing over all their dairy free ice cream. And do you know what?" She watched as he looked into her eyes with a simple plea in his. "I'm right here. I don't blame you for anything, Leo is alive for some reason because my gods that boy just can't let me have my one thing, being the only person that's come back from the dead."_

 _Frank chuckled before wrapping her up into a bear hug while his face was buried into her hair. And it finally made everyone realize, even the strongest of us can cry. Even the shyest of us all can be the brave one._

 _It wasn't until Thalia raced into her cabin at four in the morning that she feared for him again. It wasn't until she ran in the room to find him curled up in his corner of the room crying and shaking that she realized it was her job to protect him now. Not from monsters or bad guys. But from things they couldn't see. And it scared her. But she still walked over to him and just let him cry. She didn't ask why or what happened. She just kissed his head, his hair, his nose, his cheek. Anything she could reach as she sang to him quietly. Because she didn't need him okay. She just wanted him back, even when she knew that was too much to ask from the gods._

 **I'm only human**

 **...**

 **Just a little human**

 **...**

 **'Cause I'm only human**

 **...**

 **'Cause I'm only human**

It wasn't till the song ended that they all realized they were crying. It wasn't till the song ended that they realized that at some point they had moved so they were in sort of a star, with the girls in the middle and the boys as the points. Even unconsciously as they danced they ended up in a defending position. Old habits die hard.


	3. 2 Poor Kids

**Disclaimer: I do not own the** **PJO characters. The lyrics are "2 Poor Kids" by Ruth B**

It was like the world fell around her as she moved onto the stage, her eyes never leaving his as she moves to the microphone. Their relationship was a secret, well they just didn't advertise it. Cecil wanted to but she didn't. She wanted him to herself. But now, she thought she was ready. Of course she had to make up for it by singing in front of the whole camp, but now she was regretting that decision. "Hey. This song is dedicated to someone, he knows who he is. Two years is a really long time to be dating and I'm guessing I should have done this sooner." She waved all of the Apollo kids off, raising her hands as the keys on the piano started playing and any other necessary instruments.

 _ **I don't want no time on the big screen.**_

 **...**

 _ **Messy hair, that's what he likes on me.**_

She flashed back to when they were cuddling in her cabin, with her excuse of being sick which automatically made everyone leave as when one of them was sick, their magic went awol.

" _Stop playing with my hair, you're going to mess it up." Not that she cared much, it was just they would probably figure it out if he kept doing that. She finally turned around so he would have to stop. "Why do you keep...?" And then his lips cut off hers as she was pulled on top of him for better access. She hands went to his hair and his stayed tangled in hers. For once she didn't care as his lips were so warm and felt so good as they moved with hers._

 _When he pulled away, he was grinning at her. "Your hair is soft. Besides, I like it messy. It means either we just did that...or you are so comfortable around me that you don't care. Either way it doesn't matter to me." Her hair ended up a rat's nest, but for no other reason than she really really liked him and for some reason they fit together like puzzle pieces when they kissed._

 _ **I don't care as long as we're happy and free**_

 **...**

" _We shouldn't be doing this." She was still smiling happily as they loaded the last of her stuff into the back of his brothers truck. He was going to drive them to the motel where her cousin would give them directions to a few different locations. They would get to chose which one they wanted to call their own. By the time anyone even thought to ask the guy with a million summer homes where they were, they would be tucked away._

 _He shrugged as they climbed into the backseat. His brother thought they were just going on vacation or meeting friends for a weekend away. He had no idea they were running away at thirteen. "Does it matter? We're together."_

 _And that's when Lou Ellen started falling for her best friend._

 _ **They think it's a shame**_

 **...**

 _Her father's steady glare made her want to back down but she held his gaze. She was maybe seven and was wearing a ruined ballerina outfit. It didn't matter, her father could pay for it but the fact as to why she did it was why he was mad. "Why can't you just be a ballerina like the rest of the little girls? Or play a sport or something."_

" _Daddy, I just want to do my magic! I don't care if people don't see me, I'm okay with that!" She was pouting and her eyes had to force down tears. "I don't want people to like me because of something like money. I want them to like me!"_

" _Why don't you want to be pretty actress? Or maybe have a big stage to perform your magic? Why can't you just..." He tried to grab her but she was already running away with the tears streaming down her face. She didn't want to be famous. She just wanted her magic and her best friend back._

 _ **But I think that's okay,**_

 **...**

" _Get out! Get out you stupid bitch! I never want to see you again and your bastard of a son!" A woman with curly brown hair and crying green eyes stumbled out of the front door as suitcases were thrown around her. "I don't need you."_

 _Lou Ellen watched as Cecil ran out to comfort his mom, but she was already collapsing on the ground. She thought they were in love, his parents. I guess she was wrong, as they never went back to that house._

 _It was a few months after his tenth birthday that his mom got sick and he had to move in with his older brother who was rich at only twenty four. She watched as he went through girlfriend after girlfriend and Cecil cried to her about how he just wanted to be back with his mom. It wasn't until close to his birthday the next year when he demanded to see his mom and his brother drunkenly shouted at him, "She died stupid! Why do you think I stopped going to visit her?" And that was when her best friend broke and he stopped being happy. He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye because his brother didn't care._

 _ **And we're just 2 poor kids from a really rich city.**_

 **...**

 _She could remember all the big houses with infinite rooms and infinite parties she was forced to attend. She could remember the money passing hands and the thickness of it that made her feel like she was suffocating._

 _She could also remember listening to her dad talk on the news when the news learned of her disappearance. "Why would she leave if she wasn't taken? She had everything. Money, clothes, a home. I just don't get it." She knew they couldn't understand why she would leave being a multimillionaire for being dirt poor but she didn't care. It was then that she met the daughter of Demeter scolding two boys for stealing while on their field trip, who later turned out to be her best friends brothers._

 _ **'Cause we've got a love story unlike the rest,**_

 ** _ **...**_** _ **.**_

 _When they decided to sneak into their junior prom, as they had started going to school with friends but were only sophomores, they showed up in jeans and button up shirts. They even matched. It pissed everyone else off but they loved it._

 _ **Just us, just us, just love, just love**_

 **...**

 _ **He picks her up in a Benz,**_

 **...**

 _ **'Cause he drives them mad, oh, he drives them mad.**_

 _It was around that point that they were found and forced to go home to their biological families. Their first night back, a guy was picking his girlfriend up in a fancy car where as he showed up to her door with dirt on his normal clothes and roses. "Sorry, had to get them from your neighbors garden. Hope she won't notice."_

 _She simply kissed him sweetly while she felt the eyes of her father, step mom and the couple across the street. She knew they hated it, he did too. That wasn't the whole reason they did it, it was just an added bonus._

 _ **'Cause they think it's a shame**_

 **...**

 _ **'Cause love gets ruined by money and power and fame.**_

 _ **And we're just 2 poor kids from a really rich city,**_

 **...**

 _ **Just us, just us, just love, just love.**_

Lou had started dancing to the song as she sang, her eyes closed as she grasped her hands over her heart. She was smiling like no tomorrow, opening her eyes to find him doing the same. Tears were running down her cheeks silently as the memories passed through, but that was all they did. Pass. Because they didn't matter, they were only reminders.

 _ **Dollar signs all around us,**_

 **...**

 _ **Your mean old laughs.**_

 _They were giggling as they moved onto the greyhound that would take them to the edge of the town they needed to get to. They had stuffed their bags below and were now cuddling in their double seats. No one seemed to notice they weren't part of the tour group and that was perfectly okay with them._

 _If they had really been listening, they would have heard the couple in the back talking smack about them. If they had really been listening they would have heard the family a few rows ahead talking about how they had a strict budget for this trip and it wasn't fair two teenagers could pay for it. If they had really been listening, they wouldn't have cared._

 _ **Dollar signs all around us,**_

 **...**

 _ **To notice your mean old laughs.**_

 _ **And they think it's a shame**_

 **...**

 _ **'Cause love gets ruined by money and power and fame.**_

 _ **And we're just 2 poor kids from a really rich city,**_

 **...**

 _ **No fancy suit and no fancy dress.**_

 **...**

 _ **Just us, just us, just love, just love, love, love.**_

Lou finished the song, letting the last note echo around her before finally looking at the crowd in front of her. She grinned as everyone clapped and she made to get off the stage. As soon as her feet touched the ground, he was there with his dopey grin. "What did you think?"

He cupped her face with his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "I think you're beautiful and that was amazing." And then in front of the entire camp, Cecil captured her lips in his as the roar of the crowd got louder behind them. They almost stopped because they were smiling too much. Almost...


	4. Superheroes

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or the bolded lyrics. What is there is part of the song "Superheroes" by the Script.**

It was a simple thing to dance at a school event. It's a simple thing to sing along and sway to the music when you have no one to grab and kiss. But for Frank and Hazel, songs were something so much more than words laced together on a song's track. For them it was the soundtrack of truth, something to connect with and breathe in. So when a song started playing on the speakers that made Hazel suck in a breath and their dancing pause, they listened. And they remembered.

 **All her life she has seen**

 **All the meanest side of me**

 _She had seen him be an idiot goofball that always screwed up, which was okay because you can't blame an idiot for the bad things he does. But when he changed, when he grew into his body, he wasn't so sure. He showed his praetorship and how he can lead without mercy, how he can let a friend sacrifice themselves if it means the war is won. He's shown her every side of him he didn't like._

 **They took away the prophet's dream for a profit on the street**

 **Now she's stronger than you know**

 **A heart of steel starts to grow**

He looked down at the girl in his arms and smiled slightly, taking in the old fashioned green dress that clung to her body as they swayed together. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, his girl wearing that smile he loved so much in return.

 **All his life he's been told**

 **...**

 **He won't ever let it show**

 _It was just months ago that she didn't know he was destined to die because of his own stupidity. Ever since his mom died, he carried around a great burden of knowledge, he literally could go down in flames at any moment. Every day, even before then his grandmother would call him a poor excuse, berate him and just tear down all his confidence._

 _But after he changed, he put on a face like his new body gave him confidence that he could spread around to everyone. He forced a smile or a calm expression while battling internal demons at night. It was one of these fights that raged in his head one night when Hazel had walked in._

" _Frank? Frank!" She was grabbing at him as he thrashed in his bed, trying to fight off the feeling of his skin ripping apart and his bones breaking. His body was shifting so fast she could barely touch him without having to pull her hand away. "Frank, look at me." Her voice was stern and her touch comforting as the shifting slowed, his eyes finding her's even when they weren't human. "Hi, I got scared and I wanted to talk to you."_

 _Her words finally fought their way into his brain, forcing his body to turn back to normal as he quickly wrapped her up in his arms, forcing away every bad feeling he ever had so all he had to give her was comfort and love. "I'm right here." His body was, and his mind was trying to be, but it was like his tail was tied to a jet ski going the other direction._

" _I know. And I am too, in all my honest glory." She blushed but she pushed through her choice of words. "So tell me, handsome. Why can't you be honest with me?" And he stopped, everything did. As her hands reached up to cup his cheeks, tears spilled over onto his skin and sobs he didn't know he was holding back roared in his throat as she just held him._

 **'Cause he's stronger than you know**

 **A heart of steel starts to grow**

 **When you've been fighting for it all your life**

 **...**

 **Turn the pain into power)**

 _It wasn't when the fighting raged, it wasn't the terrifying feeling of knowing that a least one of them had a strong possibility of not making it back alive or even watching the instinct roaring at him from within his soul and crawling just under his skin. No, none of these things could make his heart stop or his mind go blank. No, it was her. And that's what scared him._

 _He'd destroyed the entire Katoblepas population in the city with about 270,843 citizens. Venice. How many of those monsters were there? The same amount? More? He really didn't know. All he could remember was the fluidity of it, the red aura and how_ right _it felt to be tearing the monsters apart with his bare hands. Except all it did now was make him cringe. He didn't destroy them for Nico, the god or even the quest. He did it for her. He was breaking apart at the thought of her hurting and that was all it took for him to turn into the perfect warrior, destroying everything in his path to protect her. To save her. Because that was the one thing he cared about more than anything. Even the quest, his grandmother or his own life._

 **When you've been fighting for it all your life**

 **...**

 **Turn the pain into power)**

 **All the hurt, all the lies**

 **All the tears that they cry**

People would wonder why the two of them never really hung out with anyone after school or on weekends without each other. As they watched the couple dance, all they saw was two kids who had the same shitty past that kids like them usually came from. But there was a select few that saw them for what they were, the strongest people at the school. The ones that didn't even break down to a friend as they forced on a smile, the ones that always held their heads high. The ones that always told the truth and _asked_ for the truth no matter how much it hurt.

" _Hailey asked me out today, she was surprised when I told her we were dating because she'd never seen us on a date before." Frank said it so matter of factly that she almost missed the twinge of worry in his voice. "I told her that we just didn't go on regular dates like everyone else..." He paused, building up the courage. "Do you want to?"_

 _Hazel stuffed down tears. "I...if you want to I will. I'm sorry, I never really thought about letting you do what you wanted. I'm just..." She hated the fact that she couldn't go to a dinner because she expected to have to sit in a colored seat or be refused service. She hated the fact that the movies confused her and she asked so many questions the people with her never enjoyed it so she stopped going. At least at home, they could pause it._

" _Hazel, I like our dates the way they are." He hugged her tightly as she silently cried into his chest._

 **When the moment is just right**

 **You see fire in their eyes**

 _He knew she was strong, but it was on Arion that he saw it. The fire that burned deep inside of her so strongly it warmed him to his very core and almost made him want to check on his life line. Her face smoothed out as her eyes raged and her arms swung with deadly accuracy, taking down anything that dared get close enough to face her. Her legs tensing in the smallest way to spur or turn her stead, determination radiating off of her like_

 **'Cause he's stronger than you know**

 **A heart of steel starts to grow**

They'd made themselves here in this high school, shown who they wanted to be to everyone around them. He wasn't that chubby kid that got blessed by Mars and suddenly got muscular. He was Frank, the guy that won wrestling matches and was a linebacker on the football team. He was the guy that never came to school the week of Veteran's day because he was in Canada. He was the guy with steel in his eyes but a warm smile for his friends.

She wasn't the girl from the 40's that was brought back from the dead, she wasn't a daughter of Pluto. She was the girl that was so stubborn you walked away from arguments with her because there was no way you could change her mind, though if she found she was wrong she would find you and apologize. She was the girl that screamed the loudest at football games and was there in rain, burning sunlight and even snow that one time. She was the girl that was bigger than her body appeared and always had a "good morning" on her tongue.

 **When you've been fighting for it all your life**

 **...**

 **Turn the pain into power**

 _The words lapped at their feet, trying to drag them out to sea to drown. For Hazel, it was racial slurs, calls of her being a witch and how she should be dead. It was people calling her cursed, being with her only for the gems she could only control in the worst moments. It was the people that asked her how she didn't know what a 3D printer did, why she could open the lock with ease but couldn't actually get the locker door open. But she just used the water to cool her anger and put on a smile as she responded, "Sorry, I've never had a locker before." She used the anger and the hurt to understand why that kid in her class didn't pay attention, why one of her classmates was sometimes a girl, sometimes a guy and sometimes neither. She used the hate of others to connect with the people that needed her._

 _For Frank, it was the words he called himself in his head. It was in the looks he got from kids who wondered why he wasn't smart. It was in the wishes for dyslexia so he could tell them it was just hard to read, it was in the sadness as he watched other kids taking ice cream while he just stuck to his stale pretzels. But he turned it into slipping Alex a bag of Jellybeans as the presidential candidates handed out Reese's cups, listening to Camille rant about her teachers weird Spanish and opening Hazel's locker whenever he was with her. Their smiles were worth it. And if they brought in a tub of dairy free ice cream for him on his birthday or gave him moose antlers to wear on Canada Day...that was just an added bonus._

 **When you've been fighting for it all your life**

 **...**

 **That's how a superhero learns to fly**

 **(Every day, every hour**

 **Turn the pain into power)**

 **...**

 **She's got lions in her heart**

 **A fire in her soul**

Maybe it was just him that saw it, but when he looked into her eyes or watched her face as she talked about something she was passionate about...it was hard to miss the flames dancing in her eyes or the roar of her lion heart. Her words would be soft but they would just feed both as she got more excited.

" _Frank! You won't believe what just happened to me!" That either meant someone was a jerk and she was going to go on another equality rant that would leave him feeling like he missed out on the world the way she saw it, or something so amazing happened that she would be bursting at the seams just to get the words out. This time, it was the later, something he was thankful for. "I GOT MY MIDTERM BACK! I was the highest grade in the class and he even commented on how much I've improved this year!" Algebra wasn't her strong suit so she was forced to work three times as hard as everyone else, some of these equations not even having existed when she was alive._

 _He just held out his arms for her and suddenly she was straddling his lap and kissing him. He could feel her emotions on his lips. Her relief, her pride, her love for him. The fire in her was calm for once, relaxing into the kiss like they did. She pulled away, blushing darkly. "Is it bad that I can't wait for Finals?" And there was the lion again, swiping at him. At least there weren't claws involved this time._

 **He's got a beast in his belly**

 **That's so hard to control**

Maybe it was just her that saw how much strength it took for him to be who he was, to keep the anger in check and the animals calm. She saw it in tightened fists that remained white knuckled until he could breathe again, in the way his eyes narrowed and his teeth appeared between his lips just slightly, as if he was baring his teeth. She could see it in the tensing of his muscles and the straightening of his back. He reminded her of a predator then, making himself bigger and showing off the fangs that could rip throats out. But he never scared her, because there were just plain teeth behind his growl and no claws appeared because his fists were too tight.

His strength was in keeping everything in when it tried to force it's way out, but indulging the animals when he wanted to relax. He would go for a fly or be awake for so long he would morph into a bear and sleep for a week. The beasts inside of him were hard to control, but that didn't mean they were bad.

 **'Cause they've taken too much hits**

 **...**

 **Now light a match, stand back, watch them explode**

" _I told you to leave me alone! No, I don't want to talk about it and right now all I_ actually _want to do is be left ALONE!" The fire was dangerous now, threatening to burn everything to ash as it took no mercy._

 _Frank was there in seconds, his arms encasing her and creating a protective shield between the two of them. Who he was protecting, that wasn't clear. He did even have to ask his question for it to ring in everyone's ears._

 _Hazel almost responded but whoever had angered her was there again. "I was just saying I can understand what she's going through. I can see it on her face that she's lost someone close to her and I told her if she wanted to talk about it, I was available. She freaked out on me and said I should just leave her alone."_

 _People thought she was the quiet one, but her words would be listened too if they were spoken. His anger reflected the animals inside of him, sometimes the bear or the lion that took threats head on and sometimes it was the snake that hung back and waited for the right opportunity. Today it was none of theses things. "Who did you lose? A grandparent? A friend? A parent? I'm sorry for your loss. But ours is not for you to compare yours to." His voice was quiet but there was ice behind it. "Did you watch them wither away to nothing, only being lucid enough to say goodbye in the end? Did you have to hold your tongue as your friend told you he was going to fight to the death, knowing full well he was going to die? Did you scream and fight to get to your friends as they hung onto a ledge of a cliff, struggling to even hold onto each other?"_

 _Hazel just grabbed his hand and dragged him away, their silence the only comfort they needed._

 **She's got lions in her heart**

 **...**

 **Now light a match, stand back, watch them explode, explode, explode, explode**

No one would see the weekends when they went back to Camp Jupiter to "check up on things", when Frank would help Reyna with hard decisions and take over her half of the duties so she could have a break. Of course she had help while he went to school, Gwen and a few of the older kids taking over the small stuff while she did everything else.

Hazel was different. She mostly sat on the roof of her father's temple and watched the world go on around her, mostly only talking with Reyna and Frank. But then she started sparring with people, saying it kept her skills in check. But then it wasn't enough and she asked for more opponents. And more. And more until she was passing out from exhaustion, but she never lost. So one day when people refused to fight, the praetor had to step in. But it was Frank who walked into that arena, wearing a t shirt and jeans, barefooted. Hazel was in one of his t shirts and leggings, ready to fight. Her hair was up and she was swinging a sword with boredom.

He just grabbed a spare sword and walked over to her, a silent question in his eyes. When the fight was over, an understanding passed between them. They needed to fight and they needed to fight with someone they trusted. Someone would would give it their all but know when to stop. Because the war might have been over for the world, but for the soldiers who fought in it...it would never be over.

 **When you've been fighting for it all your life**

 **...**

 **That's how a superhero learns to fly**

 **...**

 **When you've been fighting for it all your life**

 **You've been working every day and night**

 _Their friends were concerned to say the least when they stopped coming to lunch. Then when they never left the apartment after school, when they wouldn't lift their heads in class because they were too busy writing notes. When they saw Frank checking out of work, his shoulders sagging as soon as he was outside. But they missed the important things as they told them they were working to hard or worriedly whispered amongst themselves._

" _How's the studying going?" Frank kissed her forehead as she looked up at him from her spot on the floor. He put a water bottle next to her and then curled up on the couch with his dinner. "I see you've gotten through to the 70's..."_

 _Hazel groaned as she leaned back on her hands, glaring at him upside down as the back of her head touched the spot between her shoulder blades. "Why do I need to know history again? You know I lived more of this than you did..."_

 _Frank snorted and ended up coughing on his pasta. "Doesn't matter." His voice was harsh and raspy from the pasta, coughing a few more times before getting down some water. He frowned as his girlfriend just laughed at him, going back to her studies. After a few minutes of working, she walked over to the couch and snuggled into his side. "What...?"_

" _I was cold. Even as a reptile you give off more heat than I do." She just continued testing herself with note cards as he relaxed, his back and neck hurting from leaning over in that tiny kitchen so much. But it was worth it if it meant him being able to pay for their schooling, the loan from New Rome being payed back everyday he put on that apron and listened to cheesy italian music in the back of the dinner._

 **That's how a superhero learns to fly**

 **(Every day, every hour**

 **Turn the pain into power)**

 **...**

 **When you've been fighting for it all your life**

 **You've been struggling to make things right**

 **That's how a superhero learns to fly**

They didn't stop dancing when the music faded out, too lost in each other and their smiles. Another song came on that was more upbeat but still fit their style of dancing as Frank bent down to whisper in her ear, "I love you."


End file.
